Field
This disclosure generally relates to user interfaces for mobile devices.
Background
Mobile devices (e.g. phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart watches) provide various input methods for receiving data from users such as a keypads, touch interface, and/or gestures.
Traditionally, mobile devices featured QWERTY keypads. A QWERTY keypad has a fixed configuration of keys. The user interacts with the mobile device by pressing the physical keys, which produces an electrical signal that allows the mobile device to identify the pressed key.
Currently, many mobile devices feature a touchscreen interface. The touchscreen interface includes a virtual keypad that is displayed on the mobile device. In some mobile devices, the configuration of the keypad can be modified based on the application and/or use case. For example, on an iPhone®, the keypad configuration is slightly different when a user is using the email application versus using the web browser application. Additionally, also on an iPhone®, a button is provided to toggle between numbers and letters, but also holding certain buttons reveal additional “floating buttons”. For example, holding the ampersand button, “&,” reveals the section button, “§”.
Some mobile devices feature a gesture interface. A gesture interface allows the user to interact with the mobile device without touching it. After the user performs a gesture that is preset in the mobile device, the mobile device performs a command associated with the performed gesture. For example, a user may wave at the mobile device, when the display is asleep, to wake up the device and turn on the display.